Darkly Devoted (Book 1, 2, 3)

OTF Chapter 8 - A First Time for Everything

Chapter 8

VIVIENNE WAS completely and utterly exhausted by the time they got back home. Yet, as she sat on the couch, next to the crumpled folds of Blake's bloody jacket, she couldn't bring herself to retire to her room. What did Maglania mean when she said that Blake needed to hand Vivienne over to complete his quest? Blake had been strangely quiet after their talk. Vivienne almost wished Julian had shown up that night so she could ask him.

Once again, she felt as though Blake was keeping something from her. That entire day had been one incident after another of their failure to communicate. How could it be that two people with the ability to read each other's minds manage to tell each other so little?

Vivienne stood in the doorway to Blake's room as he came out of the shower. He was wearing only a towel around his waist and seemed to blush ever-so-slightly when he saw her staring. Vivienne couldn't help it. The way the water glistened off his magnificent physique, the delicate curled locks of hair plastered to his forehead, to the way his knees split open the opening of the towel with every step, it was enough to make her want to lick the water off his hard, gorgeous body.

"I know you have questions," he said, holding his towel securely at his waist. "Mind if I dress myself first?"

Vivienne shook her head and walked over to him. She took him by the arm and motioned toward the bed. As much as she would have loved to take him right there and then she had other - less erotic - plans.

"Lie down, let me pull the splinters out of your back. It's the least I can do since you won't take my blood."

Blake shook his head, clearly embarrassed at her concern. Vivienne sighed and playfully shoved him toward the bed. "May I remind you, sir, I can give you a command you can't refuse." Clearly, the years had not changed certain things about Blake Thorne. Even when he was a child, clumsily walking with his cane, he never wanted her to help him along. He was always embarrassed about his weakness, preferring to struggle alone than to ask for help.

"Come on, Lord Thorne. I promise I won't peek up your towel. Although, by my vantage point here, I can see you have nothing to hide."

He laughed softly at that and then winced as the act increased his pain.

"I usually wear a robe," he explained nervously. "But the discomfort was too much. I'm sorry to be so undressed in front of you."

"You have nothing to hide from me," Vivienne assured him. She had no idea he was so shy. "It's okay. Just lie down."

Blake laid down on the bed, carefully, making sure with every movement that he was modestly covered with the towel. Vivienne had to roll her eyes as she sat down beside him. She couldn't believe at this point; he was still such a stickler about social niceties.

His back was a hideous sight to behold. There were layers of crisscrossing cuts, each gash ripping ever deeper into the muscles and tissues of his back. Although the blood bleeding from his wounds oozed black, she saw the skin was red and inflamed where it had been cut. Vivienne wondered how long Allison had tortured him. It could have been hours, and yet he kept it all from her. It almost made her want to let him suffer.

Vivienne lowered her hand until it was directly above the worst of his wounds. She had been slowly learning to command the Segais without directly touching it. Usually, she needed contact with some surface that connected them. Heightened emotions also magnified her power. She didn't understand what happened to her in the canyon that day when her hand had turned the demon human instead of killing it.

She forced herself to concentrate. She could feel the splinters of wood begin to shimmer with her life force. It was well embedded in his flesh, and she didn't have the dexterity to pull it out with minimal damage to him. Vivienne thought to herself, what the heck, he was lucky she could do this much.